Direct-injection internal combustion engines are very common, in particular, in the automotive field, and are subjected to ever increasing efforts in terms of emission characteristic, consumption, and noise development. In addition to a characteristic map-controlled injection of fuel, it is known, for example, from DE 197 498 17 A1 to determine the injection start and the combustion point from a difference between a measured pressure profile and a calculated pressure profile. In addition, it is known from WO 2005/005813 A2 to set a time point of the fuel injection by means of at least one injection event and/or an inert-gas percentage in a cylinder from a detected state parameter in the cylinder as the control parameter.